Thursday, December 04, 2014

McDonnell Douglas: 15 Year Service Award

I was working on the MD-11 when this photo was taken. This was in 1994 and I was receiving my 15 year service award by Fred Myers, the department business unit manager, or as they were otherwise known, BUM's. I worked on the MD-11 for a little over seven years. This was in building 84, departments 550 and 552.

I had several different jobs on the MD-11, fillet panels, various installations in the wheel well, rework and just too much to mention. Some of the best times I had were on this program, especially on swing shift. During the winter, I would especially enjoy working while the plane was outside in the pressure pit. It was on a voluntary basis only. Rain would be coming down in buckets, and at times all we could do was huddle underneath the wing near the wheel well and drink coffee, smoke cigarettes and talk. Other times the fog was so thick you couldn't see the plane until you got within a few feet of it.

Sometimes we just had the whole plane to ourselves. No pressure and working at our own pace. Maybe you just had to be there but those were good days. The only two guys on the crew that would go in that weather with me were Charles Kritz and Gabe Camargo, both of them were laid off years ago. Those were good days and it was a good time to work for the company. It was still McDonnell Douglas.We had no idea a change was on the way.